anthony myers photo story

I was representing the US as a member of a People to People Student Ambassdors delegation sent to Australia and New Zealand in the summer of 2002. This picture was taken on our first day in New Zealand . We were at the MERC, the Marine Education and Recreation Center, in Auckland, the capital of New Zealand. The center is there to teach people about the environment and endangered animals as well as recreational activities. We also went swimming in the water except that since it was winter in New Zealand with both countries being in the southern hemisphere, it was said to be 30 degrees! Even though we had to wear wetsuits to protect us from the freezing water, we had fun at the center.

This happened a few days after we got to the country.The steam in the photo is coming off the Waimangu Thermal Valley near Rotorua, New Zealand. The area is known for its hot minerial springs, geyers, silsca deposits and steaming lakes created by the local volcanic activity by dormant volcanoes. We could see stream coming from rocks, lakes and even mountains. It was amazing at the temperature change as we went down into the valley. We started with going in winter clothing on, but when we got down to the bottom of the valley, we were down to T-shirts.

The next day, after a off-road 4WD trip, we ended at Mount Tarawera, a dormant volcano. It is also located near Rotorua. The volcano is in the background on the right side. It shows the wonders of the surrending area. and the way nature still has undisturbed areas, where we see how beautiful it is.

The people shown in the picture are the Maori, the native people of New Zealand. We stayed with them for a night in their Marae, their meetinghouse and the center of their culture. We were formally welcomed and challenged when we arrived. We had dinner in the form of a Hangi where the food is steamed in wet flax leaves and placed over res-hot stones. Later we told of the Maori culture with stories such about a medicine man who was honored by the tribe and has been said to still be around the building because the light above his hanging picture has never worked even after the tribe replaced the burb and all the wiring in the wall.



This group picture was taken on our second day in Sydney, Australia. It was taken in front of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, where the wife of a famous governor used to wait for news from the boats into the harbour. Finally, a sunny day after half the time we were in New Zealand, it was raining. The waether was great in Australia with there being sun almost everyday.




This car is actually part of the Hard Rock Cafe in Sydney, where we had lunch. The place was loud and very entertaining with loud music blasting from all sides with pictures of famous rock groups and records and awards on the walls. The food was actually pretty good.



















Here are some Australian Aboriginees, the native people of Australia, showing some of their culture, music and dances to the crowd at the Australian Meusuem in Sydney. At the end, they even allowed members to join in the dancing.







The picture below is of an Australian emu, an Ostrich-like bird that can't fly. Australia's isolation from the rest of the world allowed its animals to evolve in weird ways. We encountered at the Forest Glen Wildlife Sanctuary near Brisbane. The emu was a kind creature you could pet, but had to be careful due to the point, it was still a wild animal. The next two creatures were also found at the sanctuary.

This below is a picture of me and the famous koala bear hanging on to me as a picture is taken. the koala felt like a giant teddy bear with the way its claws were hanging onto me.It eats plants and is slow moving, so the creature is endangered in being extinct. The trip that summer of 2002, lasted 22 days, but has changed me completely for the rest of my life and gave a new outlook on the world.

This picture is of course of one of australia's symbols, the kangaroo. The kangaroo is a problem because like the white-tailed deer in the US, its numbers are growing out of control. As a result, every once in a while, people have to go out and kill some of them off for control and food. The kangaroos are cute except for the point that that can jump-kick you with their feet.